Almost half of NHS patients have seen their health get worse while waiting to be admitted to hospital, damning survey reveals By Shaun Wooller Health Editor Published: 00:18, 22 August 2024 | Updated: 00:30, 22 August 2024 e-mail View comments More than four in ten NHS patients have seen their health get worse while waiting to be admitted to hospital, a damning survey reveals. The Care Quality Commission said its annual poll of 63,500 people shows long waiting lists are increasingly harming the nation's health. Some 43 per cent told the regulator their health had deteriorated while on the list, up from 41 per cent the previous year.
Of those who reported a decline in their condition, a quarter (25 per cent) said it got 'a bit worse' and just under a fifth (18 per cent) said it got 'much worse'. Some 42 per cent of respondents who were in hospital for elective care said they would have liked to have been admitted sooner, up from 39 per cent a year earlier. CQC said an 'imbalance' between patient demand and treatment capacity is fuelling delays and 'putting people at risk'.
More than four in ten NHS patients saw their pain get worse while waiting to be admitted to hospital (file image) Some 42 per cent of respondents who were in hospital for elective care said they would have liked to have been admitted sooner, up from 39 per cent a year earlier (file image) Hold-ups mean people may have been left in crippling pain, unable to work, and in need of more intensive treatment once t.